


Us and Them

by theawesomepfanfic



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF, The Creatures | Cow Chop RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Immortal Fake AH Crew, Immortality, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-29 21:45:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12094065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theawesomepfanfic/pseuds/theawesomepfanfic
Summary: The Fake AH Crew has everything they could possibly want- fame, money, immortality, and most importantly, each other. And then they come.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> guess who is back baby, that's right, me, and I'm gonna finish this one if it kills me

Out of all the terrible situations that Geoff had been in throughout his life, this one could only be labeled as one thing: the most god damn shitty position he was ever put in. Geoff had lived a very, very long life- an immortal being of his age is bound to be thrust into plenty of god awful situations- but this one, right now, was the god damn most shitty. A million and one things had happened to him in all his years on this forsaken planet, and yet, this tiny, tiny situation threatened to be the one to uproot everything he’d worked for.

“Geoff.” Jack spoke, broken the ghostly silence that filled the room.

“Jesus, Geoff, you didn’t have to fucking shoot the kid!” Michael said, taking a step back from the scene before them.

Truth be told, Michael was right. Geoff didn’t have to shoot Aleks. He could have brushed these idiot kids off just like they did with every group that came to them, wanting to join the Fakes, wanting to prove themselves, wanting to get rich and famous like them. These fucking kids though- they were the most annoying, and persistent group that had come after them.

There were three of them there- well, two now- James, Trevor, and a quite dead Aleks. Geoff really wished he didn’t know their stupid fucking names, but they’d been told them several times in the previous month the ‘Fake Chops’ had been following them around like ducklings. The remaining two were staring at the body of their now dead friend, both in total shock.

“I didn’t have to shoot him. And yet I did.” Geoff grumbled in return to them, reloading his gun and then pointing it at James, who took a serious stumble back in shock.

“Whoa man, calm down, we don’t want any trouble!” James said as quickly as he possibly could as Trevor rushed to hide behind him, “You already shot Aleks, you don’t have to fucking shoot us too-“

“I do have to shoot you. Because you saw me shoot Aleks. And that would just open a big fucking can of worms I really don’t have the time to deal with right now.” Geoff sighed, titling his head to the side, and looking James in the eye.

“Geoff. They’re just kids.” Gavin spoke up, grasping at Geoff’s arm to try and convince him not to pull the trigger- but he still did. All the Fake AH flinched as the bullet struck James between the eyes, and he fell back into the wall of the old barn they were currently in.

“Holy fuck. Oh my god, holy _fuck.”_ Trevor stood alone, staring at his dead companions, and breathing fast. He attempted to grab his gun, but before his hand was even on his hip Geoff had fired the third and final bullet into his head.

The same silence that had fallen across the room when Geoff first pulled the trigger returned as the Fakes stared at the three bodies before them. Ryan let out a long sigh, pulling his mask up and off his face.

“That was pretty bad, Geoff.” He said, and the rest of the crew began to nod their heads in agreement.

“Listen, Ryan. They brought us here to this shitty fucking barn, lying about a deal to get to talk to us, and they’re going on about immortality. About our _fucking_ fountain, like they know where it’s at, like they’ve fucking drank from it. I don’t need that shit. So, they’re better off dead.” Geoff replied harshly, sending a glare in Ryan’s direction. Ryan held his hands up in defense, and no one else said another word.

“Burn the barn down. I don’t want any trace of these three. Make sure they’re incinerated.” Geoff turned his back on them, and left the barn. Gavin and Jack followed him after Ryan, Michael, and Jeremy agreed to handle the burning.

“You have to admit, Geoff, that was still pretty harsh.” Gavin said as they got into the car, leaning forward from where he was sat in the back.

“Yes. It was harsh.” Jack scolded, looking at Geoff from the corner of his eyes, “They were annoying, and stupid, sure. They didn’t deserve to die like that though. We have rules, Geoff, rules _you_ put into place for us to follow. You can’t just go breaking them because a bunch of kids come talking about some shit they probably read on a Reddit post about us.”

“Yeah! People say shit about us all the time. Everyone thinks we can’t die. I mean, sure we can’t, but- it’s all just silly speculations to a sane person. And anyway- the fountain is blocked off anyway now. They couldn’t have drunk from it if they tried.” Gavin agreed with Jack, fiddling on his phone and trying to show Geoff some post about them being immortal.

Geoff sat in silence, staring out the window of the passenger side of the car. He could see the barn catching fire behind them as Jack drove them back down the dirt road they’d come up barley a half hour before. Something in those flames felt wrong. Something in those flames felt… familiar.

\--

A week had passed since the incident at the barn. Most of them had moved on from it, continuing their plans for the next heist or doing whatever busy work Geoff gave them to keep everything running smoothly. Geoff was the only one who couldn’t shake what had happened that night from his thoughts. It wasn’t like it was weighing on his conscious or any stupid shit like that- it was just that fire. What he saw in the flames. What that could possibly mean for his crew.

Geoff was old. Really fucking old. If he could pinpoint a time when he was born, he’d say sometime around 1580. He was born in France- he would not forget where he was from, even though he lived there for a very short time. He grew up alone in the colonies after both of his parents passed away of some illness he could no longer remember, and pretty much jumped from place to place, town to town trying to find some place to make his own. That’s how he found the fountain.

Tucked away in a cave, on some mountain, on a very snowy night, Geoff had come across a pristine, untouched fountain that came from the ground, with water so clear he could see into his soul when he saw his reflection. He’d taken one sip of the water and knew he was changed- something ran through his blood so cold that he swear he was going to freeze there on the spot. Though he hadn’t known it then, he’d found the fountain of life- a fountain that would curse him and bless him- a fountain that kept death’s hands away from him.

He died the next day. While out searching for something, anything to eat, he’d slipped right down a hill and broke his neck. He woke up by the fountain, naked, new, and alive. There was something about the way he felt when he took his first breath of new life that told him he was meant for this. Something that kept all of his fear tucked away, and made him so damn excited for what was going to come now.

He built his life above that fountain- destroying everything around it to build his home above it, to keep its glorious secret away from the rest of the world. He told himself that if the fountains gift was meant for someone else, they would have already found it- he felt like some sort of god with the power he had now, simply sitting under his feet when he fucked, or made a deal, or just simply made dinner. He had no fear of anything anymore- he could die anywhere and simply wake up in his home.

The fountain was blocked off now. At some point in his journey, after he met most of his companions, he made that choice. Now he simply had bottles of the water, tucked away in a vault in a place only he knew. Each of his crew had a single bottle as well- just in case they ever needed it, for anything. These were people he trusted with his life- bad analogy, but it was still true- so he knew that they would never use the secret for bad.

The remains of the fountain were still under his feet- he never dared to move his home from that spot. His crew would always wake up there, in a place that they knew was home, in a place that they knew was safe. In a place _he_ knew they’d be safe.

“Geoff, you all right?” Jeremy was watching him think- sitting across the room, cleaning his mask, or at least pretending to. Geoff knew he was worried- Jeremy always knew when he was thinking too much for his own good.

“I’m fine, J. Thank you for asking.” Geoff put a big smile on for Jeremy, who couldn’t help but smile right back at him with a slightly relieved chuckle. Geoff felt blessed to have Jeremy- of course, he was blessed to have everyone on his clue. His boys- his boyfriends- they meant everything to him. They’d shattered the solitude he’d been living in, helped him out of the hellish world he’d lived in for such a long time. He would do anything for them. _Anything._

He told himself that killing those ‘Fake Chops’ was to protect them. He knew they were just a bunch of stupid, annoying kids that just wanted some validation from people they looked up to. And he killed them.

His phone rang then. Which was odd- at this point in the day, everyone was back at home. He never got calls this late. He still answered, pulling the phone to his face and answering, “Ramsey, go ahead-“

“I just wanted to thank you, Geoff.” A voice he’d never heard before broke through before he could even finish his sentence. Geoff pressed his brows together and tried to connect any sort of dot that could tell him who this was.

“I’m sorry. Thank me for what? Who is this?” He asked, and received a low chuckle from the other end.

“You can call me Brett. I… I’m in charge of the Fake Chops. You did me quite the favor- I was sure I’d have to kill those idiots myself to test it out. But you did it for me.” Brett sounded too cocky for Geoff’s liking, and he almost went to hang up- until he heard something that made his world freeze.

“Brett, just tell him we’re alive. Stupid fucking-“ James spoke, the James that Geoff had left with his brains splattered on the wall. The James he burned. His heart began to slam in his chest and he slammed the phone down then, causing Jeremy to jump where he sat.

“Geoff? Who was that?” Jeremy asked, but Geoff couldn’t reply. His world was spinning, spinning so fast. How could those kids have gotten their hands on any sort of bottle? His were all locked away, and his crew would have never just given it out to them. Not to mention, he’d never seen James, or Aleks, or Trevor appear in his home.

He pounded his fist down hard on his desk, unable to think fast enough. Jeremy jumped yet again, and Jack peaked his head into the office with concern plastered on his face.

“Those fucking kids are alive! They didn’t die! I thought I told you to burn them, Jeremy!” Geoff yelled, standing up then. He was trying to find any reason outside of the fountain. Any. Fucking. Reason. Maybe he just had really bad aim, or those kids had thick skulls. They could have just pretended to be dead until the fire started and-

“We- we did! We stayed until the place was all down, Geoff, I swear!” Jeremy yelped, not used to being yelled at like this. Geoff swept his hands across his desk in one brutal, swift motion, sending things flying. Jack and Jeremy watched, both with shock written all over their faces.

“How the hell could they have gotten their hands on a bottle! There is no way, not one way that they could have!” Geoff crouched down, staring at the mess before him. Jack and Jeremy said nothing, neither of them coming up with an idea either.

Geoff didn’t have to look far before the pieces fit. A purple sticky note sat on top of his now smashed computer, and he started to laugh as he realized just where they could have gotten a bottle.

“Ray.”


	2. Chapter 2

_1991_

Geoff had met Ray exactly twenty-five years ago. That didn’t seem too long to him- hell, he’d only met Jeremy ten years prior to this incident. Yet he could barely bring himself to remember all of the events that led up to Ray becoming his favorite person in the world. Ray was always some mystery to him- from the moment the kid in the purple hoodie got hired to start shooting bullets at them to the day he said goodbye to them.

“You have to admit Geoff- he’s got impeccable aim.” Michael was lighting a match to burn Ryan’s dead body- a bullet was placed clean into the hole of Ryan’s eye, leaving quite the awful mess of his face. Gavin was somewhere else gagging, with Jack comforting him.

“Little prick. Does he not know who we are? I could have his head in a fucking second- Ryan will have his head. Once he finds out what happened.” Geoff leaned back against the nearest wall, his eyes avoiding Ryan’s face at all costs.

“Yeah, you could, Geoff. Yet you seem to be keeping the kid alive.” Michael gave him a slanted look as he dropped the match onto Ryan’s body and watched it light up. Geoff watched the flames, watched the ghastly fire that tore Ryan’s soul from his body and sent it elsewhere. He knew, eventually, Ryan would come back. Burning just made it faster. A process that would take two days shortened to barely twenty-four hours.

“He’s got talent. You said so yourself. He’s not like the rest, either. Not groveling at our feet to become a Fake. No, he’s out there trying to kill us, knowing he can’t. This is the third time he’s killed Ryan, is it not?”

Michael shrugged his shoulders, starting to walk away. Geoff followed him, a frown plastered on his face. He knew exactly what Michael was thinking- he’d promised them, no one else. When he brought Gavin into the crew, he’d crossed his hearts to the rest of them, said five was enough.

“Michael. We need a sharpshooter like that. Like purple-hoodie. You know how much someone like him would help us on big heists? An eye in the sky?” Geoff took a deep breath in and grabbed Michael’s shoulder, trying to slow him down.

“Yeah, so fucking hire a hand. Not add someone else to the crew. Not someone else who is like us. You said five was it, Geoff!” Michael snapped at him, clearly not happy with what Geoff was proposing- and rightfully so. He’d made a promise to them- and had kept it for quite a long time.

Gavin was the last addition to the crew. He’d taken his sip from the fountain in January of 1962, exactly thirty years ago. Thirty years was a long time. Geoff had honestly forgot about his promise up to this point. As much as he wanted to keep it- he knew that sometimes he had to break the rules for the best of the crew.

\--

_1992_

The rain was pouring dangerously hard above them, so hard that Geoff had to blink often to see what was before him. Of course, what was before him was Ray. Ray, on his knees, panting heavily. Geoff was holding a gun to his head.

The events that led up to this moment were a mess. Geoff knew only one thing- the rest of his crew was down, each taken down by Ray in the last fifteen minutes of their heist. He was impressed. Ray had only managed to take one of them down at a time up to this point. Now he’d taken down four of the five. Of course, Geoff never went down without a fight.

“Wearing a bright purple sweatshirt really gives away your location, kid.” Geoff laughed weakly, and Ray shot him a dangerous glare.

“What the fuck are you? Some sort of demon? Why won’t you guys stay dead?” Ray asked, slumping a little to hold the bullet wound in his side- Michael had managed to shoot at him at nearly the exact same time Ray had taken him down.

“Demon? I like that one, but I’ve heard it before. Come up with something a little more creative.” Geoff lowered his gun, knowing that Ray would literally have to dive off the roof of the building to get his own. A swift kick to Ray’s side had made him lose his grip on the already wet gun, and it had fallen into the alleyway below them.

“Is this some joke to you? I’ve been sent to kill you!” Ray yelled, wiping water out of his eyes and pressing his hair back.

“As have many others. You’re not going to kill me, or my crew, Ray. It’s just not going to happen. I’m sure by this point, you’re aware of that. So, let’s strike a deal. You leave us alone, and I won’t kill you. Sound good?” Geoff held his hand out for Ray to shake- normally at this point, he’d get an agreement. But Ray was different.

“No. I want to know what the hell you are. I want to… I want to be like you. You don’t die. I don’t want to die.” Something in Ray’s voice reminded him of himself- back when he’d first found the fountain. The lust for something more, the lust for life, unending life.

“Then you’ll have to swear your loyalty to me. Forever.” Geoff wasn’t playing games. If Ray wanted this, wanted to be like them, then he’d follow Geoff’s orders. There was a long moment of silence, the rain drumming down on everything around them.

Ray shook his hand.

\---

_2017_

“What are you thinking about?” Ryan asked as he pulled himself up onto the roof of their home, two sodas in his hands. Geoff looked back at him from where he was sat, his legs dangling over the edge of the roof.

“You’re all so interested in my thoughts.” Geoff mumbled as he took the soda Ryan offered to him. He tapped his heels on the side of the house, just tossing the can back and forth between his hands.

“Of course we are. When you think too much you get weird. Distant, like now, sitting up here alone.” Ryan opened his own can up, taking a long sip and sitting down next to Geoff. Geoff immediately leaned his head onto Ryan’s shoulder, feeling his warmth and feeling better instantly.

“This is all just a lot, Ryan. A lot of shit. We don’t need this shit right now.” Geoff said, and Ryan wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him closer.

“I know, Geoff. Ray… didn’t leave on the best terms, you and I both know that. We _all_ know that. We never expected this, though. Don’t blame yourself for not expecting it, because none of us did.” Ryan ran his hand down Geoff’s side, trying to calm him as he spoke.

“I just can’t see why he’d do this. He only had one bottle- why would he waste it on those damn kids?” Geoff leaned into Ryan’s touch, so glad he had him in moments like this.

“Maybe he saw something in them. Chaos, I’d assume.” Ryan replied, spinning the can around between his palms. Geoff couldn’t help but let out a snort at that- was chaos really what Ray wanted? To fuck them over so bad, after all this time? Ten years had passed since Ray left them, so it was hard for Geoff to swallow that now he’d suddenly decide to fuck them over like this.

“Who knows,” Ryan continued, when Geoff didn’t reply, “This could just be one step in his plan. Who knows what all he’s done. He said he’d never forgive us, Geoff. Sometimes time heals wounds, but sometimes it just opens them further.”

“When did you become a philosopher?” Geoff asked, looking at Ryan with a slight grin on his face. Ryan rolled his eyes in response and gave Geoff a small kiss. They sat in silence after that, Geoff boiling over what Ryan had said. Could Ray really have grown even more angry towards them in the passing years? Geoff had let him go in hopes he’d simmer down, not grow to hate them more.

And if Ryan was right- if this was only the first step to Ray’s plan, then what more could be awaiting them?

\---

_1873_

Ryan came from the west. That’s about all Geoff knew about the man before him, but he loved it. The accent, the tanned skin and light hair, the difference about the way he walked and the way he held himself- it was all so new to him, and all very exciting. Ryan gave him a dashing smile, and Geoff felt his heart skip a beat.

“You’re going to rob a _train?”_ Jack asked in disbelief at the proposal that Ryan had laid before them. Geoff had probably heard crazier things in his lifetime, but seeing as this was coming from a single man and not a group- it was a little complex.

“I would like to rob a train,” Ryan corrected Jack, “But I need your help to do so. I’ve heard about you two, tales reach the west fast. You’re some unstoppable force- and it can be done. Some man from back home managed to do it.”

The excitement in Ryan’s voice was enough to make Geoff want to agree. The glint in his eye, the devious look he had, the pure determination to do something that would make him known… it was all what Geoff needed. What he wanted.

“What are you thinking, Geoff?” Jack asked, leaning in close to him to whisper- but Geoff offered his hand to Ryan without another thought on the subject. Ryan’s face split into an even wider grin, and he took Geoff’s hand and shook it quickly.

 

They were going to rob a train.

 

“Don’t let go of my hand!” Ryan yelled, the wind blowing so loud around them that Geoff could barely make it out. He had fallen over the back of the train after being shot by a particularly annoying officer that had followed them onto the train, recognizing his face. Ryan was leaning over the edge and holding his hand so tight Geoff was sure it was going to break.

Geoff wasn’t the least bit scared of what would happen if Ryan let him go, but god he knew what he was going to do the second Ryan pulled him up- if he pulled him up. He was clearly struggling to hold himself, Geoff, and the large bag of cash he had around his shoulders up.

Geoff knew Jack was dealing with the pesky pig, so this was truly his moment to test Ryan Haywood out. He didn’t put any effort into pulling himself up, acting as if the bullet wound was too much for him and that he was nearly out.

“God dammit.” Ryan let out a loud breath and then he pushed off the train- and he and Geoff both went falling to the ground below. Geoff was in pure shock at this, unaware that Ryan would choose a double suicide over just saving himself and running with the money- and he was even more shocked when he felt Ryan grab him in the air and twist them so that Ryan would hit the ground first.

Even though he didn’t hit the ground, Geoff still had the wind knocked out of him from how hard they contacted the ground below. He could only imagine what Ryan must have felt, and quickly sat up to see just how destroyed his new friend was.

Ryan was grinning up at him, a large cut above his brow that was causing blood to drip down over his eyes. He was rested up on the large bag of money, which must have taken the blunt of their fall. Geoff had to commend him for his awfully fast thinking.

“You saved us.” He breathed out, pure shock on his face.

“I saved us _and_ I saved the money. How about that, huh?” Ryan sat up with a grunt, holding his back with one hand. Geoff moved off of him and sat back into the grass with a huge smile.

“You’re amazing Ryan. You’re incredible. Join my crew.” Geoff held his hand out again, and though Ryan took it, he made a face.

“Not much of a crew left, Geoff. I don’t think Jack will be getting off that train alive.” Ryan said grimly, and Geoff could tell he felt bad about leaving Jack behind. How sweet.

“Don’t worry about Jack. We’ll see him again.” Geoff stood up slowly, pulling Ryan up with him as he did. Ryan made a noise as his back made one not so charming, and Geoff laid a hand on his shoulder with a chuckle. “And we’ll fix your back too. You’ve just got to be willing to make a little sacrifice.”

“I’d do anything to live that rush again, Geoff.” Ryan grinned at him, and Geoff knew Ryan was the perfect choice to add to their crew.

\---

_2017_

“Shoot him in the dick first. I want to see if it will grow back.” James insisted, shoving Aleks by his shoulder. Aleks grunted in response, aiming his gun down at Trevor’s dick. Brett chuckled from where he was watching, his feet up on his desk.

“Careful boys. If you shoot off Trevor’s dick, I’ll give him permission to shoot off yours.” Brett playfully scolded them, but Aleks immediately lifted the gun away from Trevor’s dick and instead aimed it back at his heart.

“Why am I the dummy for this shit? Asher hasn’t even died _once!”_ Trevor cried out, covering his face. Asher looked the other way, leaning back over his computer in an attempt to not be seen.

“Yeah, and neither have Anna, Joe, Jakob, or myself. Doesn’t mean we want to if we don’t have to. You died already, Trevor, so you’re used to it.” Brett replied, standing up slowly and walking over towards James and Aleks.

“James and Aleks died too! Why can’t they be your lab rats!” Trevor yelled, and Brett proceeded to take the gun and fire it at Trevor to shut him up. He slumped to the floor and Joe flipped on the timer as Brett nodded at him to do so.

“Took forty-eight hours the last time. Let’s see if it works any faster the third time.” Brett pressed the gun back into James’ hands. James and Aleks shared a look and then both took a shot at the body of their dead friend- both in the dick.

“You’ve got to burn him.” A voice came from above them, and every gun in the room was pointed up at the loft of their warehouse in a split second. Standing there was Ray, his hood up over his head. Brett waved the guns down and everyone obeyed.

“So nice of you to join us again, Ray. Would have loved a call first, you know, a little ‘hey guys, I’m gonna climb through the roof to visit, don’t be startled’ would have been great, y’know?” Brett looked up at Ray with his hands on his hips- Brett was probably the size of three Ray’s combined into one, but when Ray jumped down in front of him the larger man took a step back.

“I don’t call anyone,” Ray pulled out a lighter and looked over at Aleks, “I know you have lighter fluid somewhere. Get it for me.” Aleks gave him a quick nod and ducked out of the room as Ray walked over to Trevor.

“We have to burn him?” Joe asked from where he was sitting, and Ray gave a swift nod before explaining.

“Yes. It releases the soul from the body quickly. Once he’s burned, he’ll be back in less than a day.” He held his hand out for the fluid as Aleks returned, and spared not a second to douse the body and light it up, right there on the floor.

“Oh hey, thanks, this isn’t a rented building or anything like that, no problem.” Brett huffed, nodding at Anna to go and get them a fire extinguisher. Ray glanced slowly at Brett, the look in his eyes causing everyone who saw it to take a quick step back.

“You’re immortal now, Brett. The rules of society mean nothing. You could shoot the guy you rent this from in the face and he wouldn’t come back. You could shoot anyone who asked you questions about him in the face and they wouldn’t come back. If they shot you in the face, though, you’d come back. And then you could shoot them in the face. No one could stop you. _No one.”_ Ray tossed the lighter to Aleks as he finished, making his way back to the ladder to exit the warehouse. The Chops watched him with wide eyes as he climbed up, stopping at the top to look down at them.

“I’ve got your first mission. Two of them, really. You guys know Bruce Greene?” He asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts.

“Yeah. We’re aware of him. He runs that drug house disguised as a nightclub- Funhaus?” James replied, and Ray gave him a quick nod.

“Yeah. Find him. Recruit his team. Offer them the same thing I offered you. If he accepts, give him the bottle. If he doesn’t, kill every last one of them.” Ray kicked his shoe on the ground, staring down at them with an unwavering expression as Anna returned with the fire extinguisher and gave it to Brett.  

“Wait a second. Funhaus works under the Fake AH though. Don’t they give them their drugs for runs, or whatever?” Asher spun his chair around to look up at Ray, who shrugged his shoulders like that information meant nothing.

“You can change anyone’s alliance with the right offer. I don’t remember Funhaus being the most loyal group of drug dealers, either.” Everyone nodded with that.

“Alright then, what else do you want us to do? Nothing too hard about that. You said this would get rough.” Brett stopped spraying Trevor’s body with the fire extinguisher to speak up again. Ray let out a low chuckle and pulled his hood back up.

“It will get rough, Brett. We’re digging into Geoff. We’re digging so deep into him that he’s going to bleed, for what he did. Do you understand?” Ray asked, and Brett gave a small shrug, still waiting for their second mission.

“I need you to just spy on him. That’s it. Just one of you. Follow him around. I want you to tell me how he acts. What he does. Who he is with, when he is with them. You got it?” Ray’s expression stayed flat as he spoke, and Brett gave him two thumbs up.

 “Great. I’ll see you guys in two weeks. _Au Revoir_.” Ray disappeared into the shadows of the loft and the Chops all shared a moment of silence as they stared at the space he once was.

“Two fucking weeks, that’s all the time we’ve got? What kind of information are we going to get on Ramsey in just two weeks?” Aleks scoffed.

“I guess we’d better get moving then, boys.” Brett threw his arms around James and Aleks’s shoulders, pulling them in close, “Don’t want to upset the boss, now do we?”

“This is all pretty easy stuff, don’t you think? He’s so dead set on ‘my revenge, my revenge’ and yet he’s just having us bother Funhaus and stalk Ramsey for a couple weeks. This is all pretty lame for what he is giving us- what he gave us.” Jakob spoke up for the first time, peaking his head out from behind his computer screen.

“I’m sure he has a plan that we can’t even imagine yet. He’s just working his way there, right? He’s got to keep an air of mystery to himself, it’s just who he is. I read online that he’s always had some of clandestine vibe to him. No one knows where he came from, no one knows how long he was with the Fake AH, and no one knows why he left.” Asher explained to them, spinning around on his chair.

“It’s all so odd,” James said then, shoving his hands into his pockets, “To think he and Ramsey were so close at some point but now he literally just hates him. What the hell did Geoff do?”

“Nobody knows, right Asher?” Anna broke into the conversation, and Asher nodded with a shrug.  

“Something like that won’t happen to us, right?” James asked and glanced at Aleks, who squeezed his arm reassuringly. Before anyone could say anything else, Brett clasped his hands together, making a loud noise to startle them all into attention.

“Alright boys, and Anna, no more chit chat. Let’s figure out who is doing what and get this show on the road.” He placed his hand forward in the air, and Anna stepped in and put hers on next. Asher followed, then Jakob and Joe, and finally Aleks and James on top.

“Do we have to do the stupid moo?” Jakob groaned.

“What about Trevor? He can’t join in on this one.” Joe chirped.

“Can I cut his arm off-“ Aleks started, but Brett threw his hand up in the air and let out a loud half ‘whoop’ and half ‘moo,’ causing the rest of them to bring their hands up and mostly give a halfhearted grunt. They broke out in laughter afterwards, and each set off in their own direction to get prepared for what stood before them now.

 

Ray watched from above as the group below him laughed together, a scowl imprinted on his face. They were young. They didn’t know betrayals cold sting yet. Deep inside he wished he could be like that again- so hopeful, so young, so happy. He knew it could never be like that again though- the people you love, the people you _think_ you love- they’ll always let you down.

He was going to make him pay for what he did. No one was ever going to screw him over again. _No one._


End file.
